TRANSCRIPT
The sounds of rubble being cleared from the municipal headquarters of the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon.
Israel bombed the building yesterday, killing 16 people including the mayor of the city Ahmad Kahil.
United Nations spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, says the mayor and his colleagues were killed while holding a meeting about aid distribution to people displaced by Israel's bombing campaign and ground invasion.
"The mayor of the town, as well as members of the disaster risk management unit that were killed on the strike on the municipal building during a relief management meeting."
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati condemned the strike and accused Israel of intentionally targeting the civilians to damage aid efforts.
Israel's United Nations envoy claimed the Israeli military was targeting the Lebanese political and militant group Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the UN and Lebanese health authorities say Israel's assault on Lebanon has killed over 2,300 people and driven 1.2 million from their homes, including more than 400,000 children.
Mr Dujarric says the attacks have also severely strained Lebanon's health care system.
"Our health partners are telling us that the violence continues to push an already overwhelmed health system to the brink, with devastating impact on medical care amid huge health needs. Since September 17th, the World Health Organisation says it has verified 23 attacks on health care facilities. Also, It also highlights the impact of intense bombardment and insecurity, which are forcing a growing number of health facilities to shut down, particularly in the south of the country."
But the Israeli bombardment has stretched well beyond Hezbollah militant sites in the south to all across the country including residential areas of the capital Beirut and Christian villages in the north.
Nine of the 22 people killed in an attack on the Christian village of Aito on Tuesday have now been buried in a mass funeral.
Twelve women and two children are among those killed when a residential building housing displaced families from the south was destroyed.
Deputy mayor of the village Ali Hijazi says it's a senseless and tragic loss.
“The Lebanese people have been targeted by a great oppression. Today we are living a great Lebanese tragedy by the loss a big group of women, kids and elderly people who were seeking safety in this area in the North province that is not posing any kind of threat in this battle between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy.”
Israel is yet to comment on the strike.
And in Gaza, there has been some progress made on the blocking of vital humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.
Israel has allowed 50 aid trucks into Gaza following threats from the United States to cut some weapons exports if the aid situation didn't approve within a month.
While the US remains supportive of Israel and has provided billions of dollars in weapons for them to carry out their military actions, they say they also want to see the trickle of aid for those suffering in Gaza broadened into a sustained and consistent flow of food and medicine.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says they're happy to see some progress made.
"So we have seen them taking initial steps over the past several days. But of course, the proof will be in the pudding ultimately. And we want to see them take additional steps, and we want to see ultimately the results change and the results will be more trucks coming in, more food getting in, more water getting in. And civilian's having the basic needs that they require to go about their daily lives."
And on news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas or Israel and Hezbollah, reports are that they have stalled with no negotiations being made currently.
Hezbollah have now called for a ceasefire with Israel on multiple occasions but Israel are showing no signs that they intend to bring their military campaigns in Lebanon or Gaza to an end.
Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani says - regarding Gaza - there have been no conversations or engagement with any parties for the last three to four weeks.
“Unfortunately we've seen the efforts being hindered in the past few weeks and basically, in the last three to four weeks, there is no conversation or engagement at all, and we are just moving in the same circle with the silence from all parties. And this is unfortunate."
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, has led mediation efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant and political group Hamas.
And Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, says they hope Israel will accept a peace offer agreed to by Hamas back in July and that there can be no peace in Lebanon without lasting peace in Gaza.
He says Hamas are still hoping for a peace deal promoted by the US that they agreed to back in July.
“I think it is so complicated and so intermingled, the two fronts (Lebanon and Gaza), that it is not easy to reach a permanent ceasefire or a permanent solution to this conflict without solving the original one, which is in Gaza. The mediators are, I believe that they are disappointed. And, at the moment, we are still ready to go for the implementation of the July 2nd agreement immediately. But we cannot simply start negotiating new conditions added by Benjamin Netanyahu.”
So there remains a diplomatic stalemate while the bodies keep piling up.
Sixty-five people have been killed in Gaza and 27 killed in Lebanon over the past 24 hour period alone, according to their respective health ministries.
